Lessig for Congress - wishful thinking?
With Congressman Tom Lantos' recent death, some attention has been given to the idea of Lawrence Lessig, running for the vacant Silicon Valley seat in a special election in June. The idea is purely speculative at this point, however, there are some signs that a bid could be in the works.
For one thing, Facebook has a new group, "Draft Lessig for Congress," with
Clearly, the idea of change is one Mr. Lessig ideally suited for and whether the tea leaves we're sifting through here indicate he's going to run for Congress is wishful thinking or quite possibly the real thing, only time will tell.
Mr. Lessig is the founder of the Free culture movement which promotes the freedom to distribute and modify creative works using the internet as well as other media. The embodiment of this movement is Creative Commons, which Lessig founded to expand creative work for others to legally build upon and share. Their motto is "Knowledge is Free."
Having an intellectual titan of Mr. Lessig's stature in Congress is at once depressing and inspiring at the same time. At one time, the call to public service appealed to the best and the brightest, however, now public opinion of Congress couldn't be lower.
Certainly, his presence and ability to educate Members of Congress on issues of tech importance will be a win for citizens. Perhaps if Mr. Lessig is indeed going to run, it could be a sign that the times really are a changin.
Note: Requests to Lessig and his staff for comment were not immediately returned.
[via Slashdot]
